The Odyssey by Homer

*contains spoilers*

Whilst The Iliad concerns itself with great battles and feats of heroism and strength, most notably reflected in the physical speed of Achilles, the power of Greater Ajax and the vast armies at the command of Agamemnon, The Odyssey deals in the guile and wits of its protagonist, the titular Odysseus. It could therefore be said to be the most flavoursome of the two, as Odysseus (whose name means “child of anger”, which could be considered prophetic of the retribution he brings down on the necks of the Suitors looking to usurp his throne and his marriage) faces a series of obstacles following the already long and harrowing war in Ilium between the Achaeans and the Trojans, and must escape and return, finally, to his beloved bride in Ithaca. Nevertheless, there are moments where Odysseus’s strength comes to the fore; as Odysseus appears incognito at his own house after decades away, he is the only man amongst the throng of warriors – even in his older and withered form – who has the power to string his famous bow and skilfully channel an arrow through the handle holes of twelve axes.

Actually, I was wrong: strength is a theme addressed in The Odyssey, though it is in this case by proxy. So I was wrong, kind of; it is the constitution of man, his strength of will against the temptations offered by the gods that is at the forefront of the text. As each circumstance presents itself, Odysseus and his men must face their tests and act in the gold standard set by the gods in order to survive. Having been warned by both Circe and Teiresias, two folks whose assertions it would be wise to consider, that Thrinacie is a place that they should really try to avoid, Odysseus’s crew beg Odysseus for respite having weathered the fearsome grasps of the monsters Charybdis and Scylla, and so a stop is scheduled. The crew are then warned that Hyperion’s flock, who inhabit the island and are favoured greatly by the Sun god, must not be touched; unfortunately, in Odysseus’s absence, the crew succumb to hunger and slaughter and eat these holy cattle, and the wrath of Zeus strikes the ship to pieces killing all but Odysseus. Odysseus himself sometimes falls into the welcoming embrace of temptation, most obviously when he reveals his true identity to the Cyclops Polyphemus (sadly after a brilliant piece of trickery where Odysseus firstly lures Polyphemus into a drunken stupor so as to blind him, secondly declares his name to be “nobody” so that Polyphemus proclaims to his comrades that “nobody” has hurt him, thirdly escapes this deadly ruckus in Polyphemus’s cavern by attaching his crew members to the bellies of Polyphemus’s sheep as he blindingly fumbles about to find them and destroy them), which invariably leads to Polyphemus revealing to his father, the powerful Poseidon, who has blinded him and thus who should consequently be punished for it. It is retribution at the hands of the gods all over again, though this time frustratingly unnecessary.

This is a text that must be explored and enjoyed. Read once, listen to the audio book, conduct further research into the context of the piece and the gods who but merely manage a brief passing mention along the way, then give both The Iliad and The Odyssey another go. Consider that I’ve not even made a proper mention of the Suitors, who are the true antagonists of the piece – if you don’t count the scheming and jealous gods, who are intent on imposing their will on these poor mortal puppets – and are the main focus for Odysseus’s rage upon his return to Ithaca. Also consider that the last two books of The Odyssey are suspected not to have even been written by Homer at all, but instead are supposed to be an addendum that a lesser poet made somewhere along the pipeline.

Enjoy.